Creating the Greatest in Public History: The History of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky (1992-2005)
History MA Thesis Defence - Craig Burke
Event Details
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Wednesday, October 1, 2025
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The History Graduate Program is excited to announce the upcoming MA defence by Craig Burke of their thesis entitled Creating the Greatest in Public History: The History of the Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, Kentucky (1992-2005)
Committee: David Sheinin (Supervisor), Robert Wright
External Examiner: Stephen Allen (California State University)
Chair: Caroline Durand
Abstract
This thesis concerns the history of the Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center (MAC) from 1992 to 2005. Previous research came from Michael Ezra, Michael Brandon McCormack, Mary Rosner, and Scott Rogers. These scholars analyzed Louisville’s role in building the MAC, how the MAC portrayed Muhammad Ali’s past, how the MAC helped mobilize political action, and how visitors interacted with the MAC. The MAC originated from the vision of Paul Bather, a local politician in Louisville, who proposed building it in 1992, incorporated it, and formed its Board of Directors in 1994. The planning of the MAC involved collaboration among Ali and his wife, Lonnie Ali, community leaders, local politicians, and architectural and design firms. They wanted to build the MAC to highlight Ali’s life and career and to educate and inspire visitors by emphasizing the principles that guided the boxer. This thesis will identify how Louisville’s government helped create the MAC and how that connected to its larger efforts at boosting tourism in downtown Louisville from the late 1980s to the 2000s. It will also consider Lonnie Ali’s involvement in creating the MAC, how the museum and cultural centre depicted the boxer, and how those parts of its history connect to the boxer’s media portrayal since the late 1980s.
Keywords: Muhammad Ali Center, Muhammad Ali Museum and Education Center, Paul Bather, Lonnie Ali, Muhammad Ali, Louisville, Downtown Louisville, Jerry Abramson, 1996 Olympics
Contact Info
If you would like to attend, please contact History_ma@trentu.ca for the zoom link